Taiwan's trade surplus significantly expanded to USD 22.58 billion in October, compared to USD 7.06 billion in the same month of the previous year, surpassing market predictions of USD 10.95 billion. This increase was driven by a substantial 49.7% year-on-year rise in exports, reaching USD 61.8 billion. Notably, shipments of information, communication, and audio-visual products rose sharply by 138.2%, and electronic parts increased by 27.7%. There was a marked growth in exports to key trading regions: the United States saw an extraordinary 144.3% increase, ASEAN nations rose by 40.0%, Europe by 26.2%, Japan by 19.8%, while China and Hong Kong combined experienced a more modest rise of 3.2%.
On the import side, there was a 14.6% year-on-year increase, bringing the total to USD 39.22 billion. This growth was fueled by a 22.4% rise in electronic parts, a 90.0% surge in information and audio-visual products, and a 17.1% increase in machinery imports. However, these gains were partially balanced by a 12.0% decline in mineral product imports. The highest growth in imports was recorded from ASEAN countries (21.8%), the United States (17.7%), and Korea (12.1%). Conversely, imports from Europe decreased by 8.1%.
For the period from January to October, Taiwan's trade surplus accumulatively reached USD 121.82 billion. During this time, exports grew by 31.8%, while imports increased by 21.3% compared to the same period the previous year.
